Whitfield Supports Balanced Budget

Statement

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, supported the budget of the United States Government for fiscal year 2015, which passed the House of Representatives after several days of debate by a vote of 219 to 205.

Whitfield issued the following statement:

"I supported this budget because it puts us on a path to cut spending, balance the budget, and make the necessary changes to mandatory spending programs that largely drive our debt.

While I supported this budget today, I have serious concerns about the current budget process. Over the last ten years, the House of Representatives and the United States Senate have agreed on a budget only six times with none passed in the last four years. Even more concerning is that the Senate has already declared it will not even pursue a budget this year. While I understand the importance of prioritizing federal spending, it's becoming more and more apparent that the current budget process is broken, increases partisanship, and confuses the American people.

For years now I have advocated moving to a two year system of budgeting that would allow Congress one year to appropriate funds and one year to review and improve current federal programs. I genuinely believe this type of system would simplify the process and make it easier to achieve the goals of reducing spending and balancing the budget."

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